He is mixing up two different events, with time having knocked a few edges off the memories.

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As Paul Gascoigne recalls getting inadvertently dropped into the middle of an argument he could never fully understand, however, the underlying point remains valid.

Gazza, twice caught out miming playing the flute in response to Rangers fans demanding that he ‘give us the Sash’ during games, said of the Old Firm rivalry: ‘I know how crazy the fans are, how fanatical.

Paul Gascoigne admits he made a mistake opting to do the flute celebration while at Rangers

‘And how big it is in the derby, where unfortunately it can be Catholic against Protestant. I know that more than anything, from doing that [the flute]. I won’t be doing that again.

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‘I remember after the game against Steaua Bucharest, when I did it, I went into the dressing room afterwards and all the lads had their heads down.

‘I said: “Lads, have I done something wrong there?” That was my first European goal for Rangers. I wake up the next morning and I am buzzing to get the papers. I’m thinking I’ll be all over the back pages.

‘But I was on first page, second page, third page, every page. The IRA are going to get us? Oh, my God.

The former Rangers midfielder (R) was speaking at a Premier Sports promotion in Glasgow

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‘When I went into training again on Monday, I said: “I think I have done something wrong here!”‘

Gascoigne has revealed in the past that he received advice from police regarding a credible death threat, although that was actually in response to a repeat ‘offence’ during a Celtic game.

Insisting that he didn’t understand exactly what he’d done, he explained: ‘Walter Smith said: “I think I need to see you in my office”. I got a letter from the police saying I should board up my house. I would have boarded up a Wendy house!

‘All the lads there were trying to see the funny side but I thought: “That is not funny, guys”.’